


Simulation

by Northern_Lady



Series: Starfleet Academy Chronicles [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Arrogance, Best Friends, Friendship, Geek Love, Past Rape/Non-con, Starfleet Academy, Telepathy, Temper Tantrums
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 06:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4735859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northern_Lady/pseuds/Northern_Lady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this universe, Tuvok is an instructor at Starfleet Academy. He has five students who are problematic and in need of disciplinary action or expulsion. He is ready to expel them when his old friend Admiral Janeway has another suggestion on what to do with them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Simulation

The list was very short but it was still far longer than Tuvok would have liked. Five students, five students that he was going to have to recommend for expulsion from Starfleet Academy. He didn’t want to do it. All five of them were bright, intelligent, talented students in his classes, but they were also a lot of trouble. Starfleet didn’t need that sort of trouble in their ranks. As much as it pained him to do it, he was going to have to expel them. He looked at the list on his computer again, unsure why he was hesitating. The computer beeped and spoke to him. 

“Incoming message from Admiral Janeway.” It said. 

Maybe Janeway could help. “Put her through.” Tuvok said. Janeway’s image appeared on the screen. She looked older than she had when he’d last seen her nearly two years earlier. She was smiling. 

“Tuvok, it’s good to see you!” She said. 

“It is good to see you as well.” He told her. 

“How are you finding your first year teaching?” Janeway asked. 

“In most ways I find it satisfactory.” He said. 

Janeway had always been able to read between the lines. “But in some ways you don’t?” 

“Truthfully, some of the students do quite well in all their assignments. And others, though they are quite intelligent, they continue to be problematic. I fear I will have to pursue disciplinary action with some of them.” 

“What exactly did they do?” Janeway sounded concerned. 

“There has been an Andorian who continuously resorts to violence to solve her problems, a Betazoid student who uses his telepathy to cheat, a Romulan who causes accidents with her absent minded science projects, and two humans who have a dangerously manipulative relationship.” Tuvok explained as concisely as he could. 

“Sounds a little like our old crew doesn’t it?” Janeway said, smiling at the memory. 

“Perhaps a little.” Tuvok remained unamused at the thought. 

“Our crew was thrown together by necessity of circumstance. Many of them might not have done well by academy standards but they did manage to learn how to be fine officers in the end. Maybe that’s what you should do, Tuvok. Put your students in a situation where they can really be tested for their worth. Make them work together and find out what they’re made of.” She said. 

Tuvok raised a skeptical eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?” 

“Some sort of a simulation for them.” She suggested. 

“All of them together? I don’t think these five students have ever even spoken to each other. And given what I know about them I highly doubt that they would work well together.” Tuvok said. 

“That’s even better. No one would have expected our crew of Marquis and Starfleet officers to work well together either but we did.” Janeway said. 

“It is an interesting proposal,” Tuvok began. “But I think perhaps I should stick to regulation and go ahead with the disciplinary action..” 

“Well you are the instructor, and they are your students. Far be it from me to overstep my bounds, but please consider it?” 

“I will take it under advisement.” Tuvok said with a nod. “So tell me, have you been keeping busy as an admiral?” 

**************************************

The waiting area outside the office was a little crowded. There were only enough seats for four students and since Noadis was the fifth one to arrive, he had to remain standing. Being a Betazoid, he knew that these other four were as nervous about seeing Professor Tuvok as he was. He’d seen the Andorian girl around campus before. She was tall and had blue skin and antennae so she was hard to miss. A quick scan of her mind told him that she was worried about a recent fight she had been in. That must be why Tuvok had called her. The human girl he’d never met or noticed before, nor the human guy to her left. She was a brunette with blue eyes and was quite attractive, her friend’s hair was a shade lighter and his build was rather on the thin side. He didn’t know what they had done to be called to the office and he didn’t probe their minds to find out. It was the Romulan female who had his interest. He’d never met a Romulan before and he had expected them to exude confidence. This one didn’t. She was terrified. The others were nervous and anxious even, but she was in a worse state than any of them. On the outside she looked confident enough though. 

“So, what do you think it will be, detention or something worse?” Noadis asked jokingly to no one in particular. 

The human girl glared at him. He could feel her anger. She didn’t like males of any species and she liked handsome ones even less. That explained the unattractive friend at her side. “What makes you think we’re in trouble?” She said. “Maybe we were called here for an extra credit project.” 

“Ha! I doubt you’re one of those kinds of students.” Noadis told the human. “Maybe she is.” He nodded to the Romulan. “But not you. Maybe you can bat your eyelashes and escape your punishment if you’re lucky though.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” She said, angrier than before. “If you think that just because I am an attractive woman I can get whatever I want, you’re wrong! I’m a doctor and I had to work hard to get through medical school and to get where I am today. I would never resort to wearing a slinky dress to get what I want!” 

Noadis shrugged. “No, I guess you wouldn’t have to. You have your boy there to do anything for you that you could ever want.” 

The human man sat up a little straighter in his seat and leaned forward to protest. 

“Don’t bother trying to deny it.” Noadis cut him off. “It won’t matter anyway. We’re all probably gonna get expelled no matter how pretty she is or how good a hacker he is.” 

“I can’t get expelled.” The Andorian said quietly. “I can’t.” 

The Romulan said nothing but he could feel her growing fear. The door to Tuvok’s office opened. 

“Noadis,” Tuvok said, stepping outside the door. “Come inside.” 

Noadis took a deep breath and followed him into the room. The door automatically closed behind them. Tuvok indicated a seat in front of his desk and Noadis took it as bidden. 

“You know why I have called you here today?” Tuvok began. 

“I have a pretty good idea, yes sir.” 

“Then I should not have to explain to you the ethical problems in what you have done.” Tuvok said. 

“No sir, I know it isn’t technically right to get exam answers out of other people’s heads.” 

“It isn’t technically right? Do you believe that there is some scenario in which it would be right?” Tuvok asked him. 

“The thing is sir, if I were in command and I did need assistance in knowing how to do something, it is a lot more efficient to read the minds of the people around me looking for an answer, rather than ask everyone out loud… sir.” 

“I see, but the fact remains, if you knew the answers required on the exams for yourself, you would likely have no need to read the minds of your colleagues for help in any scenario.” 

Tuvok had him there. There was nothing Noadis could say to argue with him. “Will I be permitted to take the exam again?’ 

“My first inclination was to say no. You have cheated in the past and Starfleet does not permit such conduct. However an old friend of mine has proposed a different solution to our problem. You will be given a new series of tests. If you pass them, you will be permitted to remain with Starfleet and continue your studies.” Tuvok told him. 

Noadis breathed a sigh of relief. “What sort of tests?” 

“Be at holosuite eight at this time tomorrow and you will find out.” 

********************************

Patek found it difficult to keep her hands from shaking as she approached the holosuite the following day. Mr Tuvok had said there would be a series tests. If it were a traditional factual exam she knew she would have nothing to worry about. But the fact that she had been asked to go to the holosuite meant that this was a simulation and simulations were far more tricky. The whole situation was proving to be tricky. Profesor Tuvok had been almost sympathetic of her situation during their meeting the previous day but he had still been insistent that she was a danger to Starfleet. 

“Your file indicates that you have been through five room mates.” Tuvok had said the previous day from behind his desk. 

“Yes sir.” Patek had said sadly, hoping that the blush on her cheeks didn’t reach all the way to her pointy ears. 

“Why do you think it is that five cadets did not wish to share a room with you?” Tuvok went on. 

“The first one just didn’t like Romulans.” Patek said. 

Tuvok glanced down at the file in front of him. “In her words, she believed you were creepy.” 

“Creepy!” Patek hadn’t known the details on why her first roommate had requested a room change. “I’m not creepy!” 

“That remains to be seen. However your four subsequent room mates did not get along with you either. They all complained of your late night study habits and some of your projects proved to be a danger to them.” 

“I am sorry sir! Shira was never supposed to get trapped in the dampening field. I was only using it to keep the noise levels down so I could work without waking her up.” Patek tried to protest though she knew that the incident with Shira was not the real subject of this meeting. 

“I am aware of your motivations. You have already served detention for that infraction. The real reason you have been called to this meeting is because of what happened with Kristen Evans. She lost her hand after you left one of your inventions unattended on the desk in your room.” Tuvok said. 

Patek resisted the urge to look at her feet or burst into tears. She kept her head up and met his eyes. “It was an accident Sir. I never realized she wouldn’t know what it did or that she would turn it on without finding out first.” 

“Of course I agree that Kristen does bear some responsibility for tampering with an unknown object but that does not absolve you of your responsibility either. Accidents seem to follow you wherever you go and this is an indication that either you do not have a good grasp of science or that have no regard for the safety of the people around you. In either case, this is not a good trait in a Starfleet officer.” Tuvok said. 

Patek didn’t know what to say. Was she being dismissed? Expelled? Perhaps it would help if she showed concern for her former room mate. “I haven’t heard what happened to Kristen. Were they able to reattach her hand?” 

“Yes, her hand is healing quite well and has returned to normal function.” 

Patek nodded with relief. “What do you plan to do with me sir?” 

“All of your test scores are very high. Your classmates in engineering have not made any complaints about working with you. I believe it would be prudent to give you a chance to prove yourself in the form of a series of tests.” Tuvok said. 

It was with those words in mind that Patek found herself at holosuite eight, waiting for Professor Tuvok to let her in and initiate the simulation. Someone else was approaching. It was the Andorian woman who had been in the waiting room yesterday. 

“I’m Soran.” The blue skinned woman with white hair said when she reached her. “Looks like we’re in this together.”

“I’m Patek.” She said with a nod. She was considering asking what Soran had done to get herself here but from far down the corridor she could see Professor Tuvok approaching. He was followed by the two humans and the Betazoid that she had seen outside his office the previous day. Apparently, they were all being tested together. 

**************************************

Anna Mckoy followed Professor Tuvok into the holosuite along with the other familiar faces from yesterday. She couldn’t believe she was being forced to do this. She had awesome grades, she had never gotten into physical fights, she never cheated on exams, she followed all the rules and procedures at the Academy. She was not a deviant like the rest of this group. Professor Tuvok was wrong. He was just wrong. He had claimed that her relationship with Jason Glover was unhealthy but he’d been unable to prove any of his accusations. And even if he had, there was no rule against unhealthy relationships. Jason was her best friend. It wasn’t her fault that he was in love with her. It wasn’t her fault that he would do anything for her. She had tried not to take advantage of his willingness to do anything for her but sometimes she did ask for his help. And whenever she asked, he was there. 

“Tell me what happened on Thursday of last week with Barry Patterson.” Tuvok had asked her halfway through their meeting the previous day. 

“Barry met me in the hallway after class and asked me out, again.” Anna said. 

“This was not the first time he had approached you?” 

“No, it was the third time. A lot of guys ask me out. I’ve tried to put the word out that I’m not dating but they never seem to get it.” 

“And when Barry spoke to you on this occasion what did you say to him?” Tuvok asked her. 

“Well I told him I wasn’t interested, sir.” 

“Was that the entirety of your conversation? Because I have several witnesses who tell me you threatened his academic progress if he did not keep his distance from you.” 

Anna had tried her best to look surprised at these words but the truth was she had threatened Barry. She had told him that if he didn’t leave her alone he would end up expelled for academic failure and that she had ways of making it happen. “What witnesses? Barry’s friends?” 

Tuvok ignored her questions and went on. “The fact remains that on the following Tuesday, someone accessed Starfleet Academy Faculty computer servers and changed Barry Patterson’s grades so that he was inexplicably failing several courses. This access was eventually traced to your close friend Jason Glover.” 

“I don’t think Jason would do something like that, but if he did, I’m sure he was only trying to protect me.” Anna said. 

“You do realize that there are video monitors all over campus?” Tuvok said with a raised eyebrow. 

At that, Anna had started to feel a sense of panic. 

“If you confess to your involvement in this incident then we will forgo disciplinary action in this instance but you will be required to endure a series of tests.” Tuvok had told her. 

Now that she had arrived in the holosuite, surrounded by the quietly brooding Romulan, the obviously hot tempered Andorian, and the arrogant Betazoid, she was beginning to rethink the wisdom of confessing like she had. Perhaps it would have been better to simply take her punishment. Her only comfort in all this was that Jason was right there with her. 

**************************

Soran listened carefully to Tuvok’s instructions for the simulation. She always listened carefully. She was always careful to follow orders and to work hard for good grades. She might have been a model student if not for her temper. What had been a simple game in the recreation lounge the previous week had somehow descended into a brawl when she caught another cadet cheating. Cheating had given the cadet an unfair advantage over her friends and if there was one thing an Andorian could not tolerate, that was injustice. But this had not been her first fight since joining the Academy and Professor Tuvok feared that it would not be the last. He wanted to put her in a simulation and test her true character before allowing her to continue her education. It made sense and she had no qualms or protests about doing it. 

The room they had entered in the holosuite looked like a library. There were shelves filled with old books, leather chairs, a chess table, and a regular table with a tea tray in the center. 

“Good afternoon.” Tuvok said to the group. “Though most of you have not met one another before yesterday, today you will be required to work together for a common goal. This particular scenario is programmed to last approximately four hours if you are successful. If you are not successful it will continue until you have solved the problem or until I turn it off. This room is a library in a home of London England on earth in 1887. If you exit the home you will find that the address is 221b Baker Street.” 

“Sherlock Holmes?” The human male asked. Soran was not familiar with this Sherlock Holmes. 

“That is correct, Jason.” Tuvok said. “However this simulation is not a copy of any detective story you might be familiar with but is in fact loosely based on events from my own life. Stay in this room and occupy yourselves with the items here until one of the simulated characters comes to you. From there you will have to decide for yourselves what to do next.” 

“Will we need weapons Sir?” Soran dared to ask. If there were a need for weapons she didn’t want to be at a tactical disadvantage. 

“That will depend on how you chose to deal with the scenario.” Tuvok told them. “However, I should warn you that the difficulty setting is rather high. It is high enough that you could become injured or bruised in a fight should one arise.” 

“That’s good to know Sir, thank you.” Soran told him. 

“I will make my exit now and monitor your progress from my office. Best of luck to you.” Tuvok said as he left them.


End file.
